Shreveport bike group uses tune-ups to gain exposure

Stephen Pederson, organizer of SBC Bike Social, works on a bicycle during the group’s free tune-ups event Saturday afternoon at Great Raft Brewing, 1251 Dalzell St. in Shreveport.
(Photo:
Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times
)Buy Photo

Jai Kirkes pedaled up to Great Raft Brewing in the heat at noon Saturday looking to lend a hand and maybe a wrench.

He'd met some members of SBC Bike Social just two nights before and decided to support their bicycle tune-up efforts at Great Raft Brewing. Kirkes only recently moved back home to Shreveport and found it lacking amenities for a new lifestyle he'd adopted.

"In Chattanooga, every major street had a bike lane. Every business had a bike rack," Kirkes said. "This city is in need. These people here are commuting on their bikes every day."

SBC Bike Social, River City Cycling and Great Raft partnered to tune up local cyclists' rides from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. On hand were many members of the local biking community, an increasingly visible element of Shreveport-Bossier City commuters.

"It's a really good way to get people out. It just seems to go together well — bikes and beers," said Stephen Pederson, SBC Bike Social organizer.

There was more to the event than just knocking the rust off bicycle chains.

Pederson and his friends were looking to get as many garage-stored bicycles back on the road and to remind people that flat tires and dusty frames aren't good enough reasons to neglect their bicycles.

Buy Photo

Ethan Gullory works on a bicycle during SBC Bike Social’s free tune-ups Saturday afternoon at Great Raft Brewing, 1251 Dalzell St. in Shreveport.
(Photo:
Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times
)

"Those excuses, I don't want anyone to have those anymore," Pederson said.

Caroline and Kelly Wiggins said they've been biking less than they used to but always have been leisure and exercise riders. The sisters rode their bicycles in Saturday and were smiling when they peddled away together soon after.

"We want to be part of the bike group in town. We love everything Shreveport," Kelly Wiggins said.

SBC Bike Social organizes community rides from place to place for the fellowship and exercise and to raise awareness of the group's presence on the road and desire for better amenities to cater to this particular mode of transportation.

Shreveport isn't such a bad place to ride, Pederson said, but there's a lot to be desired. "I've biked in a lot of cities, and Shreveport is one of the best. But it seems intimidating without bike lanes and the right signs. So you have to know where to ride."

The free tune-up events will continue, Pederson said, although the date for the next session isn't set. The meeting spaces in Shreveport are slated to rotate between Great Raft Brewing, 1251 Dalzell St.; Rhino Coffee, 721 Southfield Road; and Marilynn's Place, 4041 Fern Ave.; with Bear's, 1401 Fairfield Ave., potentially joining the mix.